The WAMM Master Chronosonic
Dave Wilson recently observed that even if he were an accountant he’d still design and build loudspeakers. It’s in his blood. Even as a young teenager, Dave was obsessed with the sound of live music. He was enthralled with the idea that an audio system—specifically its transducers—could temporarily suspend disbelief, could momentarily convince the listener that what he was hearing was the real thing. He felt compelled to discover the salient factors responsible for believable music reproduction. What was it about certain combinations of drivers, cabinet materials, and even the geometric arrangement of those drivers that produces an intellectually and emotionally convincing verisimilitude of live music? It was Dave’s search for the answers to these questions that ultimately led he and his wife and lifelong business partner Sheryl Lee to form a company they called Wilson Audio.
Dave’s idealism, passion, and a certain genius for the scientific method fueled the business. Wilson’s first commercial loudspeaker was the WAMM (Wilson Audio Modular Monitor). The WAMM’s proprietary (and patented) adjustability in the time domain via movable modules was revolutionary. This ability, which enabled proper propagation delay for each installation, has underpinned the inceptional methodology for every large Wilson loudspeaker since.
It’s an understatement to suggest that the WAMM took the world by storm. After hearing it, Peter Moncrieff famously proclaimed in International Audio Review that the WAMM was “audio in its noblest form.” Larry Archibald, then the publisher of Stereophile, said the WAMM was “…the most enjoyable speaker system I’ve listened to, and significantly valuable as a diagnostic tool.”
It is fitting and perhaps even poetic that after leading the effort for dozens of industry-changing designs, Dave has come full circle back to his original concept—the WAMM. As most of you know, Dave’s primary focus for the past several years has been the new WAMM Master Chronosonic, a flagship loudspeaker worthy of the original’s legacy.
The WAMM Master Chronosonic is the most time-domain correct loudspeaker in Wilson’s history. It plumbs new depth in terms of technology and execution. From drivers to cutting-edge composites, from crossover technology to perfecting geometries. Most importantly, the adjustability in the time domain is precise down to five millionths of a second for any installation—accuracy heretofore only achievable in the theoretical domain.
The result is a musical experience with a level of intellectual and emotional verisimilitude only bettered by the live musical event itself. It is a loudspeaker truly worth of the term “Magnum Opus.”
Technical Specs
The following specifications are preliminary and are subject to change.
Drivers
Forward Firing Tweeter
Size1 inch (2.54 cm)
Dome MaterialDoped Silk Fabric (Mk5)
Enclosure TypeForward Firing (Sealed)
Enclosure MaterialX-Material
Rear Firing Tweeter
Size1 inch (2.54 cm)
Dome MaterialDoped Silk Fabric (Mk5)
Enclosure TypeRear Firing (Sealed)
Enclosure MaterialX-Material with S-Material Baffle
Upper Mid-Ranges
Sizes4 inches (10.16 cm)
Cone MaterialPaper Pulp Composite
Enclosure TypeForward Firing (Bottom Vent)
Enclosure MaterialX-Material with S-Material Baffle
Lower Mid-Ranges
Sizes7 inches (17.78 cm)
Cone MaterialDoped Paper Pulp
Enclosure TypeForward Firing (Bottom Vent)
Enclosure MaterialX-Material with S-Material Baffle
Woofer
Size10.5 inches (26.67 cm)
Cone MaterialHard Paper Pulp
Enclosure TypeWoofer (Front or Rear Ported)
Enclosure MaterialMaterial: X-Material
Woofer
Size12.5 inches (31.75 cm)
Cone MaterialHard Paper Pulp
Enclosure TypeWoofer (Front or Rear Ported)
Enclosure MaterialMaterial: X-Material
Measurements
Nominal Impedance3 ohms / minimum 1.77 ohms @ 310 Hz
Sensitivity90 dB @ 1W @ 1m @ 315Hz
Frequency Response20 Hz – 33 kHz +/- 2 dB
Minimum Amplified Power100 watts/channel
Dimensions
Height84 3/8 inches (214.29 cm) w/o spikes
Width21 inches (53.34 cm)
Depth37 3/8 inches (94.87 cm)
